Plans for 200 Bolton town centre homes set for approval

Plans to transform the former Moor Lane bus station site into a new housing estate have been recommended for approval by the council.

Ambitions plans for the site were submitted after a public consultation in September for more than 200 homes ­â€" a mix of houses and flats ­â€" in and around the old bus station land - to be managed by Bolton at Home.

Of these 208 homes, 82 would be affordable, with new commercial space created.

A statement with the planning report says: “The proposed development consists of two six-storey apartment blocks on the Moor Lane side of the site, 44 three-storey townhouses in the central portion of the site and two four-storey apartment blocks either side of the Job Centre, behind Le Mans Crescent.

“The application also proposes new hard and soft landscaping, public realm improvements to the surrounding highways and two linear parks, one of which would run west from the arches of Le Mans Crescent.

“The proposed development would make a significant contribution to the council’s housing supply shortfall.”

The proposals received positive comments from the general manager of the adjacent Bolton Market.

‘Extensive’ public realm creation and landscaping is also proposed for the site.

This includes two ‘linear parks’ ­â€" one running west from Le Mans Crescent to Moor Lane (referred to as Cheadle Gardens) and a second running south from this new element towards Bolton Market. A one-way road running from Blackhorse Street to Moor Lane would provide access to the townhouse parking, according to the report.

Bolton & District Civic Trust wrote a ‘lengthy’ letter to council leader Cllr Martyn Cox, with their ideas for an alternative scheme addressing what they saw as ‘shortcomings’.

If approved, developers hope to begin work on the site next April.

Recommending the plans for approval at next Thursday’s planning committee meeting (November 11), the report added (this) “is a significant regeneration scheme that has the potential to make a positive and lasting contribution to the vitality and viability of Bolton town centre in terms of increasing the town centre residential population.

“The public realm improvements and the two linear parks including an enhanced pedestrian route to the west of the town centre will have a transformative impact on the character and appearance of the application site, its immediate surroundings and that the way that this part of Bolton town centre functions.

“It is considered that the proposals before members represent an opportunity to make significantly better use of this inefficiently utilised part of the Bolton town centre, to increase the residential population of Bolton town centre, contribute to the housing supply deficit and to increase confidence in the ongoing regeneration of the heart of the Borough.”

Bolton & District Civic Trust wrote a ‘lengthy’ letter to the leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Martyn Cox, with their ideas for an alternative scheme addressing what they saw as ‘shortcomings’.

The report also states the development has the ‘support of the market traders’.

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